Registering and canceling ballot-box



(No Model.)

R. G. WOOD.

REGISTERING AND GANGELING BALLOT BOX.

Patented Apr. 13. 1886.

N. PETERS, Phoxcmma n mr. via-m m n. (:v

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD G. \VOOD, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

REGISTERING AND CANCELING BALLOT-BOX.

liii' EC-IFI-ZZJATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,069, datedApril 13,1886.

Application filed December 4, 1885. Serial No; 184,705.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Brennan G. Woon, a citizen of the United States, andaresident of Oinciunati,in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and use lulImprovements in Ballot-Boxes,ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention is an improved ballot-box, the object of which is to insureafair election and prevent the ballots deposited from being tamperedwith, others added to them, 1 the register indicating the number ofballots cast changed after the election is closed, or after the-ballotscast are counted. These objects are accomplished by providing meanswhereby but one ballot at a time can be conveyed into the box and.properly marked, and any ballots folded or bunched together, even thoughpreviously marked with an exact counterfeit of the stamp upon theprinting-Toll within the box, will be detected; also, improved means togive audible notice when each ballotis cast and visible notice of thenumber of honest ballots deposited; also, means whereby the contents ofthe box, including its mechanism, is inaccessible except when all thejudges are present, and inaccessible to any one except thereturning-ofiieer after the ballots are counted and returned to the box.

The invention will be first fully described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, and then particularly referred to and pointed outin the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like parts are indicated by similarreference-letters wherever they occur throughout the various Views,Figure l is a front elevation of the upper part of my box with the coverelevated to a vertical position, exposing in plain view the mechanismwhich is secured to the inside of the top. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionof the closed box, taken through line m m of Fig. 1; Fig. 3,a verticalsection taken through line 3/ y, Fig. 1. The feeding and marking devicesare removed to expose the devices to automatically lock the openingthrough which the crank which operates the mechanism, is introduced.

The body of the box A and cover B, when made of wood, are securelyframed together, so that it will be impossible to remove or sep mate theparts without breaking it to pieces.

(No model.)

The whole of the mechanism, with the excep tion of the locks and stopfor the crank-arm, are supported in metal hangers O D, which are securedto the inside of the top. The main or driving shaft E has its hearingsin both the hangersOa-nd D. Upon it is secured a roller, F, between thetwo side flanges,d,ofthehanger D. This roller has an undercut ordovetail groove turned in its periphery to receive a rubber band, G,which has upon it the number of the ward and precinct in raised letters.Upon one end of this roller is a cog or gear wheel, f, which meshes intoanother gearwheel h,which is secured to an elastic roller,H, both rollerand gearwheel being mounted upon a shaft which has its bearings in theflanges d. The rollers H and F are in close contact, so that when thecrank c is turned to revolve the shaft E they will carry the ballot,which is passed through a perforation, b, into the box, the ballot atthe same time being printed. with the number of the ward and precinct atwhich the ballot-box is used. The end of the shaft E has preferably ascrew-th read upon it to receive the crank c, the end of which is boredout and screw-threaded to engage the screw in the end of the shaft.

I is a roller mounted in a swinging frame, and which is covered with afelt or other absorbent material ca pable of holding a sufiicientquantity of ink to supply the type upon the rubber band G for printingthe necessary number of ballots. It is held in contact with the printingstrap or band G by a spiral spring, 45.

Between the words \Vard and Precinct upon the rubber band G is aprojecting pin, It, which extends slightly beyond the letters upon thebaud G. This pin may be secured in the roller F and extend through theband; or it may be a tack or pointed nail passed through the band fromthe inner side. Its object is to perforate the ballots as they arecarried between the roller F and the elastic roller H, so that shouldtwo or more ballots be folded together they would all be puncturedby'this pointh, and thus indicate upon all but one, even if they hadbeen previously marked, the attempted fraud.

The shaft E extends through downwardlyprojecting flanges or lugs uponthe plate C,

and opposite the plate is provided with a worm, e, which meshes into aworm-gear, j, which is secured upon a shaft, J. This shaft J has securedupon it a worm, j, which meshes into a worm-gear, k, which is securedupon a spindle, k, which spindle is secured to or is a part of the dialK, which is countersunk into the top of the cover B. This dial is madeof brass or some other resonant metal, and has its upper edge spacedoft, the number of spaces being so arranged that each revolution of theshaft E will advance it the distance of one space.

The indicatonhand k secured on top of the cover and projecting slightlyover the edge of the dial, indicates the number of ballots car ried intothe box at any given time. The spindle k of the dial hasits bearing inthe hub c, which is a part of the plate 0.

The top of the box is perforated beneath the dial at l, to permit thehammer l upon the end of an arm, L, to strike the dial and emit a soundat each revolution of the shaft E. This is accomplished in the followingmanner: The arm L is pivoted upon a bolt, Z, which passes through a lugprojecting from the plate D. The end of this arm opposite thehammer l isheld in contact with a cam or wiper-wheel, M, secured upon the shaft Eby a spiral spring, Z which is compressed between a projecting lug, Z,and the plate D.

Now, it will be seen from the foregoing that at each revolution of theshaft E by means of the crank 0 one ballot will be carried into the box,the dial K advanced one number by the wornrgearing, that an alarm willbe sounded upon the dial, which also serves as agong, and that theballot will be printed with the number of the ward and precinct by thetypeband and punctured, so that only the one printed by the type-bandwill have the perforation in the proper place.

The crank e is' stopped at every revolution when a ballot has beenpassed through the feeding-rollers by a spring-plunger, N, whichprojects through the side of the box A in the path of the crank e, beingheld out in its projected position by a spring, n, which is compressedbetween the head of the plunger N and the end of the pocket it, withinwhich the plunger N is pressed to permit the end of crank e to pass andturn the shaft another revolution when another ballot has been passedthrough the opening b into the bite of the rollers F H. 7

When the crank e is removed at the close of the election, the opening inthe side of the box through which it is passed is automaticall y lockedby the spring-arm 0. (Clearly shown in Fig. 3, the dotted line showingit in the closed position and locked by a spring-catch,

P, after the crank is removed, and the full line showing it in positionto permit the introduction of the crank, which can only be introkeys toopen them. These are placed upon opposite sides of a permutation-lock,R, the dial of which is locked to the dial-plate by a thumb-screw, r,when the lock is retracted, to prevent it from being locked, and thecombination thrown until the ballots are counted. The bolt of this look,when thrown, engages a catch, T, which is secured to the cover. Y

S is a hinged arm, to preventthe cover from being thrown so far back asto strain the hinges.

The box is intended to be used in the following manner: The dial isrotated until the pointer is is opposite zero. The combination of thelock R is then set, and the dial of the opened lock secured by theset-screw r, the crank-arm e placed in the box, the box closed andsecured by the locks Q, and the two keys given one to each of theelection judges or supervisors. At the opening of the polls the oflicersopen the box for inspection, the crank e is taken out and screwed uponthe end of shaft E, the spring-arm 0 being pressed down 'for thatpurpose. The box is then closed and locked, and the election proceedsuntil the close of the polls, when the crank e is imme diately removedand delivered to some oflicer who has no key, to be held by him untilthe ballots have been counted, the return made out, and the ballotsreturned to the box, when the screw r is removed from thecombinationlock and it and the crank placed in the box, after which thebox is closed and locked with the keys held by. the judges,-and the dialof the combination turned to throw the tumblers out, after which thereturns and the two small keys of the box are scaled up and delivered tothe returning board or oflicers, who at the time the returns are openedand counted are furnished with the combination of the lock R, in case itshould be necessary to verify the return by the ballots in the box.

The means herein described, whereby the contents of the box, includingits mechanism, is inaccessible to any one except the returningoflicersafter the ballots are counted and returned to the box, is not claimedherein, as the subject-matter of the same is intended to be made thesubject of a separate application.

What I claim is-- 1. In a ballot-box, the combination of theprinting-roll F, the type-band G,'the puncturing-point h, theinking-roll I, and pressureroll H with the shaft E and crank foroperating said rolls, substantially as shown and described.

2. A ballotbox mechanism adapted to convey a ballot into the box andprint the same in its passage through the feeding-rolls, in combinationwith the printing-band and a puncturing-point, h, to puncture theballots conveyed into the box.

3. In combination with a registering ballotbox, the revolving dial K,located outside of the box and actuated by the feeding mechanism, whichconveys the ballots into the box, spring l to hold one end of the saidlever in with a knoeker also actuated by the mechancontact with the camM, the knocker Z at the ism which feeds the ballots to strike said dialopposite end of the arm, and the top of the and give audible notice whena ballot is debox provided with the opening Z, through 5 posited. whichthe knoeker strikes the dial to sound 15 4. The combination,substantially as specian alarm when a ballot is deposited. lied, of theshaft E, the cam secured upon said RICHARD G. \VOOD. shaft, the dial K,upon the outside of the box XVituesses: and revolved by suitablegearing, such as H. O. HUNTEMANN, 10 shown, driven by the shaft E, leverL, the GEORGE P. CAMPBELL.

